The phospholipids phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidyl choline are the primary phospholipids comprising cellular membranes. Phosphatidylethanolamine is the predominant lipid in Drosophila. Lipid composition and its regulation affect many cellular processes including lipid-derived second messenger systems, function of membrane proteins such as ion channels, and membrane fusion and trafficking. The mechanism of these effects remains unknown. Ethanolamine kinase catalyzes the initial step in the CDP-ethanolamine pathway for phosphatidyl ethanolamine synthesis.
Pesticide development has traditionally focused on the chemical and physical properties of the pesticide itself, a relatively time-consuming and expensive process. As a consequence, efforts have been concentrated on the modification of pre-existing, well-validated compounds, rather than on the development of new pesticides. There is a need in the art for new pesticidal compounds that are safer, more selective, and more efficient than currently available pesticides. The present invention addresses this need by providing novel pesticide targets from invertebrates such as the tobacco budworm Heliothis virescens, and by providing methods of identifying compounds that bind to and modulate the activity of such targets.
Literature
Pavlidis et al. (1994) Cell 79:23-33; Pavlidis et al. (1995) J. Neurosci. 15:5810-5819; Porter et al. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265:414-422; Kim et al. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274:14857-14866; Draus et al. (1990) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1045:195-205; Ishidate (1997) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1348:70-78.